Good afternoon boys and girls :D
I'm back for another installment of a little program I like to call "Life of the living."
On todays program I will discuss fundamental human flaws!
A strange thing happened a little while ago while I was helping my step-father carry a 250lb television up a staircase. Aside from the aches and pains and nightmares of squashed fingers and toes, the whole experience was rather euphoric. The reason it was so profound to me, I think, is because we thought it was impossible... The television was heavy and awkward and the staircase was steep and narrow (not to mention the fact that my step-dad is in his mid 50's and i'm not exactly what I like to call 'physically fit'. My mother watched in horror as we made plans to carry this beast up the stairs, occasionally chiming in to say "Why don't we call the neighbour over to help?
As useful as her suggestion was, it fell on deaf ears. We were determined to carry the thing ourselves. It wasn't even about the T.V. anymore, it was about proving a point. The point was: If your will is strong enough you can do anything. Our first attempt was fruitless, but we persevered and came up with a new plan involving a dolly and a harness. We put the television on it's side and attached it to the dolly. We lifted the 250lb colossus up the staircase one step at a time. It took time and effort but we fucking did it!
The elation that came after the T.V. was set in its resting place was a feeling that one does not often feel. It was a feeling of great pride and of victory... "That's right, you said we couldn't do it but guess what?? WE DID!" My stepdad and I cracked open some beers and marvelled at our accomplishment. We were men, in every sense of the word.
Shortly after, my mother made a statement that inspired me to write this blog in the first place. "Now I hope we never have to bring it down." I cringed at the thought of having to do that... I'm not sure if bringing it down again was even an option. "We'll worry about that later." my stepdad replied childishly. It occurred to me that we never really thought our plan through... We were so focused on getting the thing upstairs that we didn't even think about how we could get it down again. Therein lies a fundamental human problem that struck me like a lighting bolt. Humans have a tendency to not think things through... Some of you are saying "Duh, I already knew that!" but i'm not talking about individuals, i'm talking about humanity as a whole. We don't think things through. We get so caught up in doing the impossible that we forget what opposing effects these impossible things can have on us. Take for example combustion engines. People were so warm and gracious to the idea of having their own car that they never stopped to think about the negative effects of pumping all that exhaust into the environment. We just saw a problem, saw a solution and didn't stop to think about what it could do to us in the long run. The combustion engine is just one example but you can see this pattern in almost every aspect of industry (ie. dependence on things like computers and electricity). We never thought "What happens if all the electricity goes away?" We just sit and hope that the day never comes...
...The same way my step-dad and I hope we never have to move that damn T.V. ever again.
